Dog of the Day | Papillon

07.12.14

Would you get a load of those ears?! The fourth breed in our dog of the day series is the Papillon!

“Papillon” is French for butterfly, so it’s obvious the breed got its name from its beautiful ears. This toy breed exhibits two types of ear structures: Papillons have erect ears and Phalènes are drop-eared. Phalènes are, in fact, the earliest kind of Papillon, appearing in artwork from the 16th century alongside wealthy French and Spanish noblewomen.

The Papillon was previously referred to as the Dwarf Spaniel, and Madame Marie Antoinette was quite infatuated with these lap dogs!